Feyza Engin
Credentials: Cellular stress responses, organelle dysfunction and interaction, beta cell function and survival, diabetes
Position title: Assistant Professor (also Medicine)
Email: fengin@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-8667
Address:
6206B Biochemical Sciences Building
440 Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706
The Engin Lab Website
Education
• B.S., M.Sc., Istanbul University, School of Pharmacy, 2001
• Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine, 2007
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University, 2013
Honors & Awards
• Translational Basic & Clinical Pilot Award, Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, 2018
• Shaw Scientist Award, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, 2016
• Career Development Award, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 2014
• Research Scientist Development Award (KO1), National Institute of Health, 2014
• Young Investigator Award, American Society of Bone and Mineral Research, 2007
Research Interests
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a dynamic organelle that plays a key role for cellular homeostasis, development, and stress responsiveness. In response to cellular stress induced by toxins, unfolded proteins and inflammation, a well-established signaling cascade, the unfolded protein response (UPR), is activated. During UPR, perturbations in ER homeostasis are sensed and transduced by ER membrane localized proteins to the cytoplasm and nucleus to initiate a compensatory response. While UPR plays a critical role for cell survival during acute stress conditions, hyperactivated UPR or unresolvable stress lead to cell demise. Thus, the unfolded protein response regulates both death and survival effectors. How or when these ER membrane proteins determine whether a cell will survive or die upon ER stress is currently unknown.
We recently showed that, the adaptive functions of the UPR were greatly reduced in β-cells of two different type 1 diabetes (T1D) mouse models and human patients during the progression of T1D. Diabetes incidence in these mouse models was dramatically reduced by mitigating β-cell ER stress with a chemical chaperone. These data suggest that the UPR plays a critical role in β-cell function and survival in T1D. Although this study provides the first direct link between the UPR and T1D pathogenesis and opens the door to a completely novel area of T1D biology, the β-cell specific function of the UPR sensors, their downstream targets, and the molecular mechanisms by which the UPR regulates pancreatic β-cell death/survival during T1D progression still remain largely unknown.
Our laboratory uses biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, -omics and immunology as well as sophisticated genetic and pharmacological tools to understand β-cell specific functions of the UPR sensors, their downstream targets and the molecular mechanisms by which the UPR regulates pancreatic β-cell death/survival.
Publications
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- Lee, H., and F. Engin. (2020). Preparing Highly Viable Single-Cell Suspensions from Mouse Pancreatic Islets for Single-Cell RNA Sequencing. STAR protocols, 1: 100144.
- Lee, H., R.J. Fenske, T. Akcan, E. Domask, D.B. Davis, M.E. Kimple, and F. Engin. (2020). Differential Expression of Ormdl Genes in the Islets of Mice and Humans with Obesity. iScience, 23: 101324.
- Lee, H., Y.S. Lee, Q. Harenda, S. Pietrzak, H.Z. Oktay, S. Schreiber, Y. Liao, S. Sonthalia, A.E. Ciecko, Y.G. Chen, S. Keles, R. Sridharan, and F. Engin. (2020). Beta Cell Dedifferentiation Induced by IRE1α Deletion Prevents Type 1 Diabetes. Cell metabolism, 31: 822-836.e5.
- Charles, K.N., M.D. Li, F. Engin, A.P. Arruda, K. Inouye, and G.S. Hotamisligil. (2017). Uncoupling of Metabolic Health from Longevity through Genetic Alteration of Adipose Tissue Lipid-Binding Proteins. Cell reports, 21: 393-402.
- Fenske, R.J., M.T. Cadena, Q.E. Harenda, H.N. Wienkes, K. Carbajal, M.D. Schaid, E. Laundre, A.L. Brill, N.A. Truchan, H. Brar, J. Wisinski, J. Cai, T.E. Graham, F. Engin, and M.E. Kimple. (2017). The Inhibitory G Protein α-Subunit, Gαz, Promotes Type 1 Diabetes-Like Pathophysiology in NOD Mice. Endocrinology, 158: 1645-1658.
- Engin, F. (2016). ER stress and development of type 1 diabetes. Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research, 64: 2-6.
- Brozzi, F., T.R. Nardelli, M. Lopes, I. Millard, J. Barthson, M. Igoillo-Esteve, F.A. Grieco, O. Villate, J.M. Oliveira, M. Casimir, M. Bugliani, F. Engin, G.S. Hotamisligil, P. Marchetti, and D.L. Eizirik. (2015). Cytokines induce endoplasmic reticulum stress in human, rat and mouse beta cells via different mechanisms. Diabetologia, 58: 2307-16.
- Engin, F., T. Nguyen, A. Yermalovich, and G.S. Hotamisligil. (2014). Aberrant islet unfolded protein response in type 2 diabetes. Scientific reports, 4: 4054.
- Engin, F., A. Yermalovich, T. Nguyen, T. Ngyuen, S. Hummasti, W. Fu, D.L. Eizirik, D. Mathis, and G.S. Hotamisligil. (2013). Restoration of the unfolded protein response in pancreatic β cells protects mice against type 1 diabetes. Science translational medicine, 5: 211ra156.
- Engin, F., and G.S. Hotamisligil. (2010). Restoring endoplasmic reticulum function by chemical chaperones: an emerging therapeutic approach for metabolic diseases. Diabetes, obesity & metabolism, 12 Suppl 2: 108-15.